Main menu

Yesterday the programme for England’s biggest event in 2018 – the Great Exhibition of the North – was revealed at the Sage Gateshead. It will be a fantastic event spread across Newcastle and Gateshead, over 80 days starting June 22nd.

My contribution is a LEGO Timeline of Northern Innovation, featuring over 40 models showcasing what the North of England has done for the world! I’ve been working on it since late last summer, and until now have had to keep it pretty quiet!

Latest project is complete – approx 1:50 scale replica of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors on Parliament Square, London. This has been commissioned in time for their 150th anniversary in 2018. Lighting effect achieved by tracing paper behind the windows and LED fairy light strings inside. The tracing paper hides the supporting structure for the roof when you look in the windows, and spreads the light more evenly.

Exciting times ahead! Early in 2018 I hope to open a studio and gallery dedicated to LEGO architecture. It will be, primarily, a workshop where I can carry out my commissions. However, I’d like to do more than that, and have a permanent gallery of my work (and others’), and the ability to hold workshops and public events.

The space lined up in not massive, but a great starting point. It will be in North Shields, Tyne and Wear.

To help make it happen I’ve launched a Crowdfunder campaign to raise money to kit it out and stock it with LEGO sets and pieces. The idea is that I’ll have open days when people can come and look at the projects I’m working on, and have a go at building their own models.

Please have a look at my Crowdfunder page, and feel free to forward on to anyone who might be interested. There are some great rewards for larger pledges, but anyone who chips in will be invited to the Grand Opening and have a chance for a one-to-one behind-the-scenes tour!

As part of my recent project to build a Metro train from Lego, we ran a colouring competition. Samuel (8) won, with his brilliant Lambton Worm-inspired version. His prize was a Lego version built by me! He was a very happy kid!

Wow, what a great week! 100 mini Master Builders built the other half of my Lego Metro train at The Word in South Shields, and we now have a 3 metre, 1:10 scale Tyne and Wear Metro train. I was amazed by the skills of the kids who took part, and they all seemed to love the chance to build a section and put in on the model.

The model will stay on display until the end of September at least. The Word is the fantastic new National Centre for the Written Word and is free to access.